Health care out of reach
Drought, conflict and floods have destroyed parts of Afghanistan in recent years making it incredibly difficult to reach hundreds of thousands of children in remote communities.
Without access to basic services such as health care, clean water and education, they are at risk of being left behind.
Dick Chamla, UNICEF Afghanistan Chief of Health, originally from Canberra, Australia, knows all too well the devastating effects this can have on children.
“I was sad to see first-hand how armed conflicts could have a generational impact, with mothers and children left behind in most aspects of their lives,” says Chamla, about his arrival in Afghanistan.
“More children are suffering from malnutrition and common childhood diseases such as pneumonia and diarrhoea. Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, like measles, are on the rise.”